How Successful Are We At FreshWater Management?

A study was completed in early 2010 that mapped threats, like scarcity and pollution, to freshwater supplies at the regional level. This study shows that humankind has, so far, a good record at combating threats to freshwater security is many parts of the world.
Conclusions of the Study
1. About 80% of the world's population exists in areas where freshwater supplies are NOT secure
2. The most severe threat is to 3.4 billion people
Natural Areas of Freshwater Scarcity

Natural areas of Scarcity
Source - nature.com

Looking at the global map:
- Much of North America (especially the population centers of Canada, US and Mexico) and Western Europe is under high stress. Many areas experience extreme natural stress
- Much of Middle Africa should be fairly unstressed
- Most of India and Western China are under high natural stress.
- There are wide areas with NO natural water flows like, much of Australia, northern and Southern Africa and Inner Asia.
Impact of Human Intervention

Freshwater Managed by Humankind
Source - nature.com

Looking at this global map, some startling results are visible:
- Much of North America (except Mexico) is being managed to virtually eliminate natural unavailability of freshwater
- Middle Africa, despite being under few natural forces of water stress, is experiencing extreme freshwater scarcity
- India's water management is somewhat successful at alleviating natural water stresses but has a long way to go to be freshwater secure
- China's water management is somewhat successful at alleviating natural water stresses but has a long way to go to be freshwater secure
Assumptions underlying the Study
Undoubtedly, we need to better understand and agree with all the assumptions, subjective factors, weighing of individual threats, combining of threats, etc before people all over the world will accept how well or how poor a job they have done on freshwater security.
However, there are three conclusions that we should all be able to agree on:
A. The threat of freshwater scarcity is a common threat virtually everywhere around the globe.
B. There are two options to resolve this common threat: We can
EITHER work together, addressing the BIG scale of the threat, to find a universal solution, 
OR we leave it to individual nations and regions to work out their individual custom solutions.
C. The problem of freshwater insecurity is so large in scale that time is of the essence i.e. we must eradicate freshwater security quickly before the increasing freshwater demand overwhelms us. This increasing demand is coming in the next decade from the 500+ million people who are expected to dramatically improve their Standard of Living and the 700 million additions to the human population

Water Extracted For Agriculture

A most common statement is that agriculture uses the largest amount of water when our world is looked at as a whole: 70% of our water usage is for agriculture, 22% for our industries and a meager 8% in people's homes and for their personal use.
The 70-22-8 Segmentation does not apply to any country

Source - RBC Wealth Management 

Water extracted for agricultural use is different in different countries. 
The richest nations use the most water for their industrial goods with agriculture usage being only about 50% of their industrial usage.
In contrast, low-income and middle-income nations spend over 800 times more water on agriculture than they do on industry. These lower income countries spend as much as 82% of their water supplies on agriculture.

Source - www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/globalmaps/05_AGW_PCT_TW.pdf

Countries have their own individual ratios between the water they use for agriculture and the water they use in industry.
As shown in the chart, agricultural water use can range from a low of <25% to a high that is >90%.
And, the lower-income countries generally use a greater percentage of water  for agricultural uses.
Rain-Fed Agriculture

Irrigation fed land
Source - fao.org

The water that is withdrawn by nations for agriculture is always supplemented by rainfall.
In fact, agriculture that depends solely and mostly on rain represents about 80% of the total area under cultivation - This crop land produces about 60% of global food.
Also, developing countries have the largest share of cropland that requires irrigation i.e. land on which rain-fed agriculture is not suitable.
Southwestern US, southwestern Australia

Water Channels in a Blade of Grass

Cross-Section of a Blade of Grass
Source - 

This is a cross section of a single blade of grass, stained for the microscope. The smiley faces are the channels that water is drawn up through. The photo was taken at an EM Lab

Why Seek Freshwater Abundance? To Better Lives of More Others!

A reason why we talk so much about a crisis in freshwater is our desire to better the lives of our fellow human beings whose life revolves around the collection and transportation of freshwater to the extent that they have little time in a day to accomplish anything else
The 60+ billion hour annual investment

Women Carrying Water in Tanzania
Source - news.bbc.co.uk

A major impediment to success for many women and children around the globe is the time they spend on freshwater collection - a time they could be spending in school or working at a job or earning additional income or spending quality time with their families.
In Africa alone, it is estimated that over 40 billion hours are spent to transport freshwater from where it is available to where it is needed.
The 6+ miles of walk to and from where the freshwater is available not only take valuable time away from these women, but it also makes them vulnerable to physical attacks and the risk of harassment and sexual attacks while they are travelling through desolate places.

Children Transporting Water
Source - unep.org

For children too, getting the water where it is needed is a trek that makes them miss school and an education that might rescue them from poverty.
The age of many of these children is 10 or 11, when they start to take on the task of procuring water for their families.
The work is so treacherous for young children that they sometimes loose their footing while drawing water from a well and fall into the well.
The delivery of freshwater is a never-ending chore for may of the women and children e.g.in Niger, as 80% of the people have no running water connections, the task of collecting and bringing freshwater is a constant never-ending task.
Raising Living Standards for 500 million people

Source - advisorperspectives.com

An estimated 500 million people in the developing world are expected to join the affluent in the developed world. 
The more affluent a person or community is, the more freshwater she and the community will consume.
China is by far the leader in adding people to its Middle Class, followed by Russia, Brazil, Mexico and India.
Why Seek Freshwater Abundance?
With more freshwater available we are confident that unavailability will no longer hold people back from their potential.  This is one reason why any freshwater scarcity is a concern.